Improvement in rotary printing-presses



3 Sheets-Sheet 1. RI M H OEI Printing Press.

Patented July 24, 1847 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. R. M. HOE.

Printing Press.

Patented July 24,1847.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD M. HOE, OF NElN YORK, N. Y.

iMPROVEMENT IN ROTARY PRINTING-PRESS ES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 5,199, dated July 24,1847.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD M. IIOE, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented new and useful Improvements in thePrinting-Press which I denominate lIoes Cylindrical-Bed Press, and I dohereby oeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the principle or character which distinguishes it fromall other things before known and of the manner of making, constructing,and using the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making part of this specification, in which Figure l is a side elevationof the press; Fig. 2, a front elevation; Fig. 3, a longitudinal verticalsection; Fig. 4, a plan of the cylindrical bed that receives the typesto exhibit the method of securing them; Fig. 5, alongitudinal section,and Fig. 6 a cross-section thereof; and Figs. 7, 8, and 9 like views ofa modification of the method of securing the types.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

My improvements are applied to that class of printing-presses in whichthe form of types is arranged on the surface of a cylinder with a seriesof impression-eylinders, inking-rollers, &c., arranged around it, sothat by its rotation the types are successively inked and give theirimpression to the sheets of paper as they are fed in by theimpression-cylinders, the number of sheets to be printed by onerevolution of the cylindrical bed depending on the number ofimpression-eylinders arranged around it, the number ofimpression-cylinders being governed by the diameter of the cylinder thatcarries the types and the distance between the iimpression-cylinders.

The nature of the first part of my invention consists in arranging theform or forms of types on a segment of a cylinder, while the otherportion of its surface is employed to distribute the ink, and thereforeanswering the purpose of a distribnting-table.

The second part of my invention consists in giving to theinking-rollers, which are arranged in sets around the cylindrical formand distributing-table, and also to the transferring-roller of theinking apparatus, a motion in and out or toward and from the axis of thecylinder, around which they are arranged, so that they may make pressureon the cylindrical distributing-table as it passes under them todistribute the ink and be thrown out sufficiently far from the center totransfer the ink to the form of types, as the face of the types must bethe segment of a larger cylinder than the segment that forms thedistribnting-table, that this (the distributing-table) may not ink theimpression-cylinders when passing by them.

The third part of my invention relates to the inking apparatus 5 and itconsists in giving to the ductoror fountain roller thattakes the inkfrom the fountain a slow continuous rotary, instead of an intermittingmotion, as heretofore, so that the ink shall be regularly transmitted tothe taking-roller and thence to the distrihitting-roller, &e., and alsoin connecting the arbor of this ductor or fountain roller with themechanism that gives to it the slow rotary motion by means of a ratchet,that it (the ductor-roller) may be turned forward when desired to alterthe supply of ink.

The last part of my invention relates to the method of securing andretaining the types on the cylindrical bed by means of columnrnles,which are thicker at the outer than at the inner edge, so that the facesof any two of them shall be parallel with each other, or nearly so, tohold the column of type as tight at the top as at the base, the saidrules being made with projections from the lower edge to fit. inrabbeted grooves in the bed, so that the columns of types, with therules separating them, may be pressed together by screws at the side ofthe bed, in the usual manner of securing types, and thus secure and holdthe form of types on a cylindrical surface as effectually as on a flatsurface, this important object having long been cssayed in various ways,but never before to my knowledge successf ull y attained.

In theaecompanyingdrawings,A represents a frame properly adapted to thevarious parts of the press, and B a cylinder of large size mounted on ashaft 0, runningin appropriate bearings. About one-fourth of thecircumference of this cylinderconstitutes the bed aof the press, theperiphery of which is of course the segment of a cylinder adapted toreceive the form of types either in the manner to be presently describedor in any other manner which may be desired. On each side of this bedthere is a small open space?) I) to give free access to the ends ofthebed for putting in and removing'the types, and then the remnant ofthe periphery of the cylinder from c to (l constitutes the cylindricaldistributing-table, its surface being properly adapted to thedistribution of ink, as distributing-tables for this purpose aregenerally made, except that it is cylindrical instead of flat. Thediameter of this part of the cylinder should be less than that of theform of types, that it may pass by the impression-rollers withouttouching them.

The ink is taken from the fountain l), of the usual construction, by theductor-roller a, transferred from this to the taking-roller f, thencetransferred to the vibrating distributing-roller g, and taken from thisby the transferring-roller h to the distributing-table c d of thecylinder 13, one or more small distributing-rollers i being applied tothe surface of the Vibrating distributor and between the taking andtransferring rollers for the p urpose of more equally distributing theink. This small distributing-roller may be composed of rings of clothslipped onto an inclined cylinder or shaft. The vibratingdistributing-roller g receives its rotary motion with considerableVelocity (the surface moving with an equal velocity to thedistributingtable 0 (7) from the main shaft E by means of a cog-wheel F,which engages another cogwheel G of less diameter on the arbor of therollers, and these wheels are of suflicient thickness to allow of thevibration of the roller, with its arbor, in the direction of its axiswithout disengaging the cogs, and this vibrating motion is obtained bymeans of the double wormj on the end of the arbor, the two groovescrossing each other, so that by running on a swivel-feather 7c one ofthe grooves or worms will travel on the feather to the end, and then asit turns to run into reverse groove the feather is turned,which carriesthe arbor back, and so on back and forth.

The taking-roller f, the transferring-roller h, and the smalldistributing-roller i are carried by the rotating motion of thevibrating distributingroller by contact of their surfaces, and theductor or fountain roller receives a slow and continuous rotary motionto carry up the ink from the fountain by a worm Z, that takes into thecogs of a wormwheel Z on the arbor of the ductor, motion beingcommunicated to the arbor of the worm by a belt m from a pulley (notseen in the drawings) on the main driving-shaft E. The Worm-Wheel Z onthe arbor of the d uctor turns freely thereon, and is connected by aratchetwheel and pawl n, so that the mechanism can carr the ductor inone direction, while the ratchet admits of turning it forwardindependently of the worm and its connections when it becomes necessaryto alter the supply of ink.

tales in the direction of the arrow the form of types J thereon is insuccession carried to and under four impi'ession-eylinders K K K K,arranged at proper distances around the cylinder to give the impressionto four sheets of paper introduced between the form of types and theimpression-cylinders, one sheet being introduced by eachimpression-cylinder in the same manner as in the well-knowndoublecylinder press. The impression-cylinders are constructed in thesame manner as those employed in the class of presses just referred to,and they are either provided in the well-known nianner with fingers fortaking and liberating the sheets; or a system of tapes may be used forthis purpose, and as these make no part of my invention it is deemedunnecessary to describe them.

The shaft of each of the impression-cylinders has a cog-wheel L on oneend, which on gages with the cog-wheel I on the shaft of the cylinder,by which the impression-cylinders receive their appropriate motion, andcare must be taken to have the pitch-line of these cog-wheels soregulated that the surface of the form of types and that oftheimprcssioncylinders shall move with the same velocity to prevent theslipping of one surface on the other, which would destroy theimpressions.

Between every two of the lIlIDIGSSlOlI-CyHlI- ders there is a set ofinking-rollers, making one set to each iinprcssion-cylinder, each setconsisting of two rollers o o, the journals of which run in boxes thatare adjustable by screw-nuts (l q in the ends of two sliding bars 1' a,one on each side of the press and moving in appropriate slides in thesides of the frame. These bars converge to the axis of the cylinder 1%,and are provided at the inner end each with a friction-roller 9,(represented in Fig. 3 by dotted lines,) which run on the periphery of acam s, (also represented by dotted lines,) and this cam is so formed asto force out these bars with the inking-rollers just as the form oftypes approach them, that they may makea gentle pressure to ink thetypes, and as the form leaves them to permit the bars and rollers to bemoved in by the tension of a spring t, which bears on an adjustable pina on the bars, so that the inking-rollers may run on thedistributing-table to receive the ink from it. There must of course beone spring 'for each bar.

Thejou rnals of the impression-cylinders run in boxes r, that slide instandards 10 w, and from the inner end of each there is a screwstem witha nut y above and below a cross' bar .13, through which the stem passes,by means of which the position of the impression-cyh inders relativelyto the form of types can be regulated, and below thisand passing throughthe frame there is a set-screw .2, (one for each sliding box,) whichdetermines the depth to which the screw-stem of the sliding box shallmove toward the axis of the form of types. This sets theimpression-cylinders for the degree of pressure to be given in takingthe impression, while by means of the screw-nuts on the stems of thesliding boxes the impression-cylinders can be raised at pleasure andthrown out of play.

Each impression-cylinder is provided with one feeding-table M and onedelivery-table N to receive the printed sheets.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that the form of types can occupymore or less of the surface of the cylinder at the pleasure of theconstructor, and that the number of impression-cylinders can beincreased or decreased, as it may be desired, to make the press ofgreater or less capacity; but it must be observed that there must be oneset of inking-rollers for each impression-cylinder, although one inkingapparatus is sufiicient for several impression-cylinders, although it isdeemed advisable not to have more than four cylinders for one inkingapparatus.

Power is applied to drive this press by a belt from some first moverrunning onto a belt-wheel O on the main shaft E, or in any other mannerwhich may be preferred.

If d csired, stereotype-plates may be secured to the cylinder instead ofthe form of types, a portion of the surface of the said cylinder beingmade and employed as a distributingtable for the distribution of theink.

Having thus described my improvements in the press and the manner ofconstructing and using the same, I will proceed to describe my improvedmethod of securing the form of types on a cylindrical surface. The bed ais a segment of a cylinder with flanges a I) at the ends and sides. Inthe direction of the periphery there are rabbeted parallel grooves 0',cut to receivecorrespon dingly-formed tongues projecting from the loweredge of columnrules e, the ends of which are made to fit in rabbets cutin the inside face of the flanges a a of the bed. These column-rules aremade thicker at the outer than at the inner edge; or, in other words,they are so formed as to present the form of a wedge in theircross-section, so as to bind the types near their upper end. As thetypes are set on a cylindrical surface and their sides are parallelinstead of radiating from the center of the circle, if the rules weremade of equal thickness-that is, with parallel sides-it will be obviousthat the types, however tight they might be bound together at the base,would be loose at the top; but by making the rules thicker at the outerthan the inner edge the types of each column are bound together just astight at the top as at the base, and by this means are as firmly held ona cylindrical as they would be on a flat surface, for the rules are helddown by the tongues fitting in the grooves and the ends in the rabbetsof the side flanges of the bed, and

so long as the rules are held in place so long will the types be. Thegrooves in the bed are fitted up wit-h blocks f.

In setting up the form the blocks f, No. 1,

are put in the grooves so as to be flush with the surface of the bed.The first column of types is set up. Rule No. l is then inserted, thenblocks 2, the second column of types, rule 2, and so on to the end, andthen finally a bar g, against which bear the ends of the screws 7:, thatpass through one of the end flanges b of the bed to bind the form oftypes in one direction, the usual or any other method being used forbinding them in the other direction.

It will bebe obvious to every one skilled in this branch of the art thatthe principle which I have adopted for securing the types on acylindrical bed may be variously modified without changing thecharacter. of my invention, and as an evidence of this it may be well todescribe one of the modifications which I have contemplated which is asfollows, viz: Instead of making tongues to project from the lower edgeof the rules, they (the rules) are attached to plates 7., which aresegments of a cylinder corresponding with the cylindrical bed andconnected with it by tongues fitting in grooves c, in the same manner asthe tongues of the rules. By this modification the rules, which ofnecessity are made very thin, are sustained along their whole length bytheir attachment to the se,,- ment-plates, instead of being sustained at111- tervals by the tongues, as in the first modification.

WVhatI claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Putting the form or forms of types on a movable or permanent segmentof a cylinder which forms the bed and chase, substantially as described,and also when this is combined with the cylindrical distributing-table,which occupies another segment of the same cylinder, substantially asdescribed.

2. Giving to the inking-rollers a movement toward and from the center ofthe cylinder that carries the form of types, substantially as described,when this is combined with the form of types and thedistributing-tablemade on one and the same cylinder and of didcrentradius, as described, whereby the inkingrollers are adapted to thedifferent diameter of the form of types and the distributing-table, asdescribed.

3. Giving to the ductor or fountain roller of the inking apparatus aslow continuous rotary motion, in combination with the ratchetconnectionbetween the roller and the mechanism from which it receives itscontinuous rotary motion, substantially as described, whereby the ink ismore regularly supplied, and by which, also,this supply may be alteredwhen desired, as described.

4. The method of securing the form of types on a cylindrical surfacewith column-rules made thicker toward their outer than their surface aseffectually as on a flat surface, as inner edge by connecting these withgrooves described. in the bed, by which they are permitted to approachand recede from each other, and at RIGHD' the same time kept down to thesame radius, Witnesses: substantially as described, whereby prismaticCHAS. M. KELLER, types can be secured and held on a cylindrical JAMESMACLYON, Jr.

